Persisting symptoms three to eight months after non-hospitalized COVID-19, a prospective cohort study

PLoS One. 2021 Aug 26;16(8):e0256142. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256142. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Long-COVID-19 is a proposed syndrome negatively affecting the health of COVID-19 patients. We present data on self-rated health three to eight months after laboratory confirmed COVID-19 disease compared to a control group of SARS-CoV-2 negative patients. We followed a cohort of 8786 non-hospitalized patients who were invited after SARS-CoV-2 testing between February 1 and April 15, 2020 (794 positive, 7229 negative). Participants answered online surveys at baseline and follow-up including questions on demographics, symptoms, risk factors for SARS-CoV-2, and self-rated health compared to one year ago. Determinants for a worsening of self-rated health as compared to one year ago among the SARS-CoV-2 positive group were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression and also compared to the population norm. The follow-up questionnaire was completed by 85% of the SARS-CoV-2 positive and 75% of the SARS-CoV-2 negative participants on average 132 days after the SARS-CoV-2 test. At follow-up, 36% of the SARS-CoV-2 positive participants rated their health "somewhat" or "much" worse than one year ago. In contrast, 18% of the SARS-CoV-2 negative participants reported a similar deterioration of health while the population norm is 12%. Sore throat and cough were more frequently reported by the control group at follow-up. Neither gender nor follow-up time was associated with the multivariate odds of worsening of self-reported health compared to one year ago. Age had an inverted-U formed association with a worsening of health while being fit and being a health professional were associated with lower multivariate odds. A significant proportion of non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, regardless of age, have not returned to their usual health three to eight months after infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • COVID-19 / complications*
  • COVID-19 / etiology
  • COVID-19 / pathology*
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • Fatigue / etiology
  • Female
  • Fever / etiology
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
  • Prospective Studies
  • RNA, Viral / analysis
  • RNA, Viral / metabolism
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • SARS-CoV-2 / genetics
  • SARS-CoV-2 / isolation & purification
  • Self Report
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Time Factors
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • RNA, Viral

Grants and funding

AS and KTK have worked on the project paid from the company Age Labs. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors AS and KTK, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.